Iowa ice cream parlors & pools plan for hot business

With the forecast calling for high temperatures in the mid-90s across much of the state today and tomorrow, Iowans will be looking for ways to keep cool.

Mike Miller is co-owner of Sweet Treats, an ice cream shop in Jewell. He’s expecting a very busy weekend ahead and says one secret to his success is simple.

“We use fresh milk from AE right here and we get berries from the farmers market and nuts and candies,” Miller says. “The ice cream is sometimes only a few days old when we put it out in the cabinet so, very fresh.”

The small shop in southern Hamilton County brings in customers from all over the region — and even from other states.

“We usually have somebody come off the interstate that’s heard about us from Texas,” he says, “or we have people that travel from Des Moines to Minneapolis and they make it a point to stop here.”

While putting ice cream in your tummy may help you to chill out, some people want to dunk their whole bodies in cool water. Morgan Moline manages the Webster City Municipal Swimming Pool, which opened for the season on Monday. She says her staff of lifeguards and cashiers is ready for the crowds.

“I’m surprised it’s not busier today than it has been in the past on hot days,” Moline says. “This weekend will be good. Today is a great day for a pool day.” While the pool isn’t close to being packed shoulder to shoulder yet, Moline expects the crowds to thicken as the temperatures rise.

“Definitely, the forecast says it’s supposed to be hot so it should be a really good weekend for the pool,” she says.

The National Weather Service is issuing a heat advisory that runs from noon today through 9 o’clock tomorrow night. It covers 14 counties in northwest and central Iowa as heat indices may reach 105 degrees.